A simple and flavorful chicken marinade recipe featuring lime, cilantro, and Mexican spices. No blender or food processor needed for this easy recipe. This is one of my favorite marinades for chicken thighs!
This Cilantro Lime Chicken Marinade whips up in just a few minutes and makes a tender and flavorful chicken. We like to use this on boneless skinless chicken thighs, but it will work on other cuts such as chicken breasts or tenders too. My kids request this dish and whenever I make it, there never seems to be any leftovers.
This marinade recipe doesn't require a blender. It does have a chopped onion, and I like it because little bits of onion stick to the chicken and get nice and caramelized when grilling.
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Ingredients
- Chicken Thighs - I like this marinade for boneless skinless chicken thighs, but other cuts can be used, such as chicken breast or tenders.
- Olive Oil - A neutral oil, such as canola or avocado oil may be substituted.
- Lime Juice - This helps tenderize the meat and gives a little hint of citrus. I have used both fresh and bottled lime juice. Fresh lime juice gives a stronger lime flavor.
- Spices - Cumin, paprika, salt and garlic powder.
- Brown Sugar - A little brown sugar helps enhance the flavor and with the browning reaction. Honey may be substituted.
- Onion - I use a diced white onion.
- Cilantro - Coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves. You'll want one fresh bunch for this recipe. If you really love cilantro, you could even increase the amount in the marinade. I like to save some for topping on the chicken when I serve.
Variations
- Use a different cut of chicken. I plan to try this with beef soon.
- Add fresh diced jalapeno for an extra kick of heat.
- You can play with the spices and add chili powder, red pepper flakes or more cumin.
- Add a little lime zest to enhance the lime flavors.
How to make
Prep and marinate chicken
Whisk together marinade ingredients. Add in onion and cilantro.
In a large resealable bag or bowl, add chicken thighs and pour cilantro lime marinade over. Let chicken marinate for 1-3 hours.
Grill chicken
Preheat grill to medium-high heat (400-450F). Remove chicken from marinade and place on grill. Cook 5-7 minutes per side. Cook chicken thighs to an internal temperature of 170F. Remove chicken from grill and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
Tips on making cilantro lime chicken thighs
- You don't want the chicken to marinade for over 3 hours in the lime juice because the chicken can start to be break down. I think the sweet spot is to let it marinate for 2 hours.
- I like to trim the fat from the chicken thighs with a pair of kitchen shears.
- You'll want to cook chicken thighs to an internal temperature of 170F. I recommend using a meat thermometer to check the temperature. This is a little higher than other cuts of chicken. At this temp is where the chicken thighs really gets nice, juicy and tender. After grilling, let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
- I have made this indoors on a cast iron grill pan, while tasty, I prefer the char you get using an outdoor gas or charcoal grill.
Serving and Storage
Serve: Serve grilled cilantro lime chicken with sides such as rice, fajita peppers, sautéed squash, charro beans or as tacos. I like to garnish with extra fresh cilantro leaves and a little lime wedge. This makes an excellent grilled chicken to top an entrée salad with.
Storage: Once cooled, store leftover grilled chicken in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
📖 Recipe
Cilantro and Lime Grilled Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1 tsp. paprika
- 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- ½ cup white onion diced
- ½ cup cilantro coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Place chicken in a large bowl or gallon Ziploc bag. Whisk together marinade ingredients (olive oil, lime juice, cumin, paprika, brown sugar, salt and garlic powder).
- Pour marinade over chicken. Add in chopped onion and cilantro. Let chicken marinate in the refrigerator for 1-3 hours. Flip the bag or give it a stir half way through the marinating time to ensure all chicken gets evenly coated.
- Preheat grill to medium-high heat (400-450°F). Brush grill grates with oil to prevent sticking if necessary. Remove chicken from cilantro lime marinade and place on grill. Cook for 5-7 minutes per side. Cook chicken thighs to an internal temperature of 170°F. Remove chicken from heat and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
Notes
I hope y'all enjoy this quick chicken recipe. This has been a favorite of ours this summer. I just love how easy the cilantro lime marinade is.
Alaine
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